Improvement in hat-finishing presses



UNITED STATES IVM. IVA LSH, XVM. VALSH, JR., AND M. J. 1WALSH, OF BROOKLYN, N. Y.

IMPROVEMENT IN HAT-FINISHING PRESSES.

Specification forming part of Letters Pat-ent No. 55,5 I3, dated October 2, 1866.

To all ywhom Iit may concern.-

Be it known that we, ILLLMI4 WALSH, WILLIAM Wmzsn, Jr., and J. WALsn, of Brooklyn, Kings county, State of New York, hz ve invented a new and useful Improvement in Pressing and Finishing Hats, and we do hereby declare that the following is a full, clear, and exact description thereof, which will enable others skilled in the art to make and use the same, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, forming part of this specitcation, in which- Figure l is a front view of a machine made according to our invention, the view being partly in section on the line of Fig. 2. Fig. 2 is an end elevation. Fig. 3 is a cross-sec tion on the line y of Fig. l. Fig. 4 is a plan, and Fig. 5 is a cross-section on the line z of Fig. 4, of one ofthe sectional dies or cylinders H, showing also a. hat and its block within the die.

Similar letters of reference indicate corresponding parts.

MN This invention consists in improved devices and machinery for finishing and pressing hats, whereby the operation is much facilitated.

The hats to be finished are placed, after they have been put on their blocks, within dies or receptacles provided in a table with leaves, which are hinged on lines that go through the dies, so that when the leaves are lowered the dies are opened, the dies being hinged to the same pintle as the-leaves, the hinges being so formed as to prevent soot, dust, and other im purities from going through the joint and reaching the hats that are in the press.

The letter F designates a table, supported at its ends by standards M at a suitable height above the ground. The table has wings or leaves K K, turning on adjustable hinges I I, the axis of the hinge of cach leaf being formed on the lower edge of plates G G, which have vertical elongated slots, through which pass screws that attach the plates to the leaves, and to the body or central part of the table, respccti vel y.

It Vthe joints of the leaves 4and dies are not made close, the hats in the dies are liable to be damaged by the smoke and soot and other impurities which arise from the combustion and flame of the gas or other material used to heat the dies. In order, therefore, to prevent smoke and soot and otherimpurities that are likely to stain and damage the hats, and

crank, by which it is turned.

also to prevent the dames themselves, from coming in contact with the hats and burning them, we form the hinges I so that the outer leaf of each hinge overlaps the .inner and movable part, and extends below and around it far enough to divert the flame, and also the smoke, soot, and other impurities, and cffectu ally to protect the joints and crevices of the hinges.

The joints of the leaves K K go through openings made in the table, which openings receive female dies H H, which are attachedto the surface of the table by means of thin llanges, as hereinafter explained.

The dies H are made in two unequal parts or sections, hinged, respectively, to the axes of the hinges I of the table-leaves, the line on which the dies are divided being at one side of their centers, and the openings in the table which receive said dies being likewise divided by the joints of the leaves, so as to be at one side of their centers. The dies H have ll'an ges which lap on and are screwed to the central part of the table and to the leaves K, so as to form part of the same.

The table, F, shown in this example is provided with four dies, two along the joint of each leaf; butin practice it will be advantageous to provide the table with six dies of varying diameter, according to thc usual variations in the diameters or sizes of hat-blocks, so that six hats ofthe usual or common range of sizes can be finished at one operation of the machine; or the dies in one machine may be all of one size, and as many machines may be provided as there are variations in the diame ters or sizes of the hat-block to be used.

In order to provide for variations in height, so that hats of high or low crowns can be 1inished on our machine, we have made the hinges I of the leaves adjustable by means of slotted plates G, above mentioned. The pintles of the hinges I pass through eyes provided on the bottoms of the dies H, and the plates G are adjusted to such a height as to allow the flanges otl the dies to come squarely upon the top of the table.

Through the middle line of the table, near its top, is a shaft, A, on one end of which is a This shaft is concealed beneath the table by being carried through a rib, N, of considerable thickness, caston the under side along the whole length of the table, for the purpose of protecting the shaft from being injured by flames or heat in heating the dies H, and from being soiled by dirt or soot from such flames. On opposite sides of said shaft, at each end of table F, are short crank-arms L, to which are pivoted curved links, J J, two for each leaf, and which are connected to the ends of the leaves, near to their outer corners, by screws or pins going through elongated Slots in the links, the slots allowing the Shaft A to be turned a little distance, and the links to have a limited motion both outward and inward, before the ends of the slots strike the pins, and the leaves are acted upon either to become thrown down or drawn up. rIhe points where the links are connected to the leaves are above the pla-ne of the hinges l, so that a slightforce will serve to throw the leaves down and to raise them up.

The ends of shaft A have bear-in gs in standards B B, two of which are placed at each end of the table to give steadiness to the shaft, a crank, O, being formed on the shaft between each pair of standards, to which cranks are attached connecting-rods G, whose other ends are connected to arms D D, that extend from the ends of a platen, E, and move up and down on the upperl ends of the standards B, which are made round, so as to allow the arms D, which are perforated to receive the standards, to move easily up and down on them. v

IThe platen E is brought down upon the table F, and raised up again by turning shaft A, which, it will be observed, is only permitted by the arrangement of the links'to move through about one-half of a revolution.

The hat-blocks?, one of which is shown in Figs. 4 and 5, are divided into two parts obliquely, as shown in Fig. 5, so that the hats can be easily removed from the blocks by takin out one section of a block at a time; and, besides,

.the division of the blocks is made in a line at one side of their centers, to enable us, by reversing the position of each section of a block, to bring an unbroken part of the block opposite the part of a hat where the joint of the Sections came before, by means of which provision any crease made in a hat by the joint of the block in the operation of finishing a hat will be removed by trausposing the sections ofthe block and again submitting the hat to the operation of the press.

In the case of hats whose sides are perfectly' cylindricalthat is to say, which are not bellshapedand in the case of those which are tapering in the direction of their crowns, it is not necessary to make the blocks in sections. The dies H, in this example, are bell-shaped, to receive hats and hat-blocks of that shape, and consequently it becomes necessary to make the dies capable of being opened along their tops to allow the crown of the bell-shaped hat and block to be removed without trouble.

The platen E may be made hollow, of metal, and may be heated by means of hot air, or .by burning jets of gas within it, or by any other convenient means.

The dies H and their fianges may be heated from below by burning jets of gas beneath the table, or by any other suitable or convenient means for applying heat to them.

The hats to be operated upon having received their blocks and been dampened,are placed in the diesH, and the shaft A is then turned so as to bring the platen E down upon the table, and to close the dies by bringing the leaves K K level with the central part of the table, when the bodies of the hats and their brims will be pressed, and at the same time subjected to heat from the dies and platen.

The pressure to be used in operating the press is determined by the character of the hats, only such force being necessary as will give a suitable finish to their surfaces without injuring the fabric or material, and the time they are in the press being determined by the judgment of' the workman, with a view to set7 the size and produce the desired finish on the work. v

The dies being made in sections, it is evident that their joints will produce a mark on the hats in the operation of pressing. In

order to remedy this difficulty we divide'the dies into sections of unequal size, or along a line at one side of their centers, so that by removing the hats from the dies and replacing them after turning them half round, the parts which are marked by the joints will come opposite those parts of the dies which are unbroken, and the press being again operated, the marks will be removed, and the surfaces of the hats will be made smooth.

We claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent- 1. rEhe press-table F, with dies H and leaves K, hung on adjustable hinges, so that the hinges can be raised and lowered to suit dies of different heights, substantially as described.

2. The combination of the table F, having sectional dies H, with a platen, E, the dies and platen bein g operated from the same shaft, substantially as described.

3. The hinged dies H, constructed in two unequal Sections, for finishing and pressing hats, Substantially as and for the purpose specified.

4. The overlapped hinges I, in combination with the leaves K and tables F, which contain the dies H, substantially as described, for vthe purpose specified.

5. The sectional dies H, in combination with the platen E, substantially as described.

6. The sectional hat-blocks P, divided obliquely from near the center of the tip to opposite side, substantially as described, for the purpose specified.

WILLIAM WALSH. WM. WALSH, JR. M. J. WALSH.

Witnesses:

WVM. F. MCNAMARA, ALEX. ROBERTS. 

